Obituary of Alan Clifford Bates

Our beloved son, brother, father, nephew, cousin, grandson, & grandfather, friend, coworker & fiancé. Al was born & raised in Tacoma, Washington but lived and worked most of his life in the Lacey – Olympia area. A graduate of Lincoln High School, he also attended the University of Washington and was a life-long learner. In school, he was scholastically driven & math his forte. At Lincoln he played in the school’s marching band. Alan was always hard working & ambitious, so as a young boy he had a paper route, just the first of many jobs. Family was very important to Alan. The family’s great love of the ocean and camping is a tradition that Al especially loved and shared this passion with his sons & grandchildren. For eight months Al valiantly battled stomach cancer & during his last week he was surrounded by family, loved ones, & co-workers. Then on Sunday evening, surrounded by prayers, & love, he peacefully, quietly went back to God. Alan is survived by his father, Don Bates & family, his four siblings & their families, two sons, Michael & Christopher and his grandchildren: Hope Emily, Faith Marie, Grace Rose, & Eliot Michael, Austin, Alexandria Marie, & Conner, and his fiancé Hong Smith. Known for a great sense of humor, he was funny, fun and a real nice guy. Alan will be remembered & greatly missed – he was loved by so many.